6th Light Cruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)
|branch = |allegiance = |dates = 1918—1919 1939—1942|size = Squadron|command_structure = Second Fleet Grand Fleet North American Station South Atlantic Command}} The 6th Light later' Cruiser Squadron' was a small cruiser group of the Royal navy that existed during World War I and World War II. History World War I The 6th Light Cruiser Squadron was first formed at the outbreak of World War I. The squadron first appears to be attached to the Second Fleet. Although the squadron was attached it was only for administrative purposes. Instead, they were attached for "intermediate importance" duties. The squadron, at first, only consisted of four "drakes". Upon being properly formed by August, the squadron consisted of four full light cruisers and attached to the Grand Fleet's Cruiser Force. On August 6th, 1914 the squadron moved to Scapa Flow to officially join up with the fleet along with the HMS Invincible who joined them on the voyage. Upon arriving the squadron was scattered across the Scottish and English coast due to piracy and stealing of food. In July the squadron was attached to certain ships to protect them from piracy crossing the Atlantic.https://www.naval-history.net/WW1Book-RN1a.htm In November of 1914 after the Battle of cocos the squadron gained three new ships; HMS Donegal, HMS Cumberland, and HMS Hampshire which would stay with the squadron for a long time. In Early January of 1915 the Grand Fleet was watching a small battlecruiser squadron moving from Germany and they decided to engage it, at the time the squadron was all back in Scapa Flow and preparing for the engagement. The 1st Battle Squadron, 2nd Battle Squadron, and 6th Light Cruiser Squadron moved 15 miles ahead to catch up with the ships. Because there isn't much information on the actual engagement available, it can be reasonably assumed the squadron was involved during the battle. This small engagement later proved that the Royal Navy needed to watch their signaling and possible re-work it all together. The battle became known as The Dogger Bank Action. Only one month later the squadron was removed from the Grand Fleet following the reorganizations and the squadron was split with the HMS Drake going to be refit, HMS Leviathan going to the North American Station and HMS Cumberland being moved to the coast of Spain for German trade raiding.https://www.naval-history.net/WW1Book-RN2a.htm Two years later the squadron was reformed as fighting force and attached to the Grand Fleet once again. Following their reformation the squadron moved back to Scapa Flow contained six destroyers when it first started to move for interception. The squadron was to patrol the east danish coast for German ships. On the 16th of October 1917 the squadron reached Bovbierg Light and started their patrol. Later after their patrols the squadron joined the 1st Cruiser Squadron, 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, and 1st Battlecruiser Squadron along with HMS New Zealand moved to be part of the Heligoland Bight Action.https://www.naval-history.net/WW1Book-RN5a.htm By the time of the Heligoland Bight Action the squadron consisted of: * HMS Cardiff (Flagship) * HMS Ceres * HMS Calypso * HMS Caradoc * HMS Valentine - Attached for Screening * HMS Vanquisher - Attached for Screening * HMS Vehement - Attached for Screening * HMS Vimiera - Attached for Screening After the action the squadron remained as part of the Grand Fleet until its disbandment in 1919. Then in 1919 the squadron was disbanded. World War II In 1919 after the squadron was disbanded, it was again reformed in April and like the other cruiser squadron was assigned to an overseas station. The squadron was thus attached to the Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic, formally known as South Atlantic Command. The squadron at the start of the war only consisted of the flagship, HMS Neptune was attached on patrol while stationed in Freetown, Sierra Leone.http://niehorster.org/017_britain/39_navy/south-atlantic.html But before the war and during the war the squadron consisted of the following ships:https://www.naval-history.net/xGW-RNOrganisation1919-39.htm#6 * HMS Lowestoft (April 1919—February 1924) - Old Light Cruiser * HMS Durban (April 1919—March 1925) - Old Light Cruiser * HMS Birmingham (February 1924—September 1928) - Old Light Cruiser * HMS Lowestoft (March 1925—September 1928) - Old Light Cruiser * HMS Calcutta (September 1928—April 1931) - Old Light Cruiser * HMS Carlisle (September 1928—July 1937) - Old Light Cruiser * HMS Cardiff (April 1931—May 1933) - Old Light Cruiser * HMS Dorsetshire (May 1933—August 1935) - New Heavy Cruiser * HMS Amphion (October 1935—May 1939) - New Light Cruiser * HMS Neptune (July 1937—October 1939) - New Light Cruiserhttps://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Neptune.htm During the Second World War the squadron, as a group, didn't see much action but their ships did see a lot of combat. The squadron was later disbanded sometime between 1942 - 1945. Commanders Commanders of the two squadrons included:http://gulabin.com/ Royal Navy Senior Appointment Page 213 * Admiral Edwyn Sinclair Alexander-Sinclair (???? - ????) * Rear Admiral George Holmes Borrett (April 1918—March 1919) * Commodore Edward B. C. Dicken (September 1939—February 1940) * Vice Admiral John Cronyn Tovey (June 1940—July 1940) * Vice Admiral Henry Daniel Pridham-Wippell (October 1940—May 1941) * Rear Admiral Henry Bernard Hughes Rawlings (May 1941—January 1942) References